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Archiver > BRETHREN > 2000-01 > 0947842517


From: <>
Subject: Re: Ephrata
Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2000 01:35:17 -0800


_Antietam Ancestors_, published by the Waynesboro Historical Society, Main
St., Waynesboro, PA, ran an article on the Snowberger family a few years
back. Copies are probably still available for sale.

Richard R. Weber

----- Original Message -----
From: Marty Graybill <>
To: <>
Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2000 12:42 PM
Subject: Re: Ephrata


> Hello Merle,
>
> God be with you during your surgery and always, get Well soon.
>
> Speaking of Ephrata, what do you know about the Snow Hill Nunnery ? My
wifes
> Schneeberger ancestors founded this nunnery, I think Jacob and Andrew
> Schneeberger (Snowberger). Their father Johannes Schneeberger was 7th Day
> German Baptist, I would like to find more background on this Ephrata/Snow
> Hill connection or schism. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
>
> God Bless,
>
> Marty Graybill
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Merle Rummel <>
> To: <>
> Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2000 7:31 AM
> Subject: Ephrata
>
>
> > I have been reading the mail about Ephrata with interest. Mostly
because
> I
> > have been arguing a new view of it, as a result of my findings here in
the
> > Ohio Valley.
> >
> > Our traditional view, the one which I was taught at Manchester College
and
> > Bethany Seminary, is that it was a center of Radical Pietism, in the New
> > World.
> >
> > I have been arguing that Ephrata was a pure form of Pietism, not a
Radical
> > Pietism. And -that most of the early Brethren held to this pure Pietism,
> > especially -those that moved to the frontiers of the Brethren (Brothers
> > Valley/Washington Co PA/the Carolinas/the upper Susquehanna) -and these
> > moved on to the early western frontiers. The Frontier Brethren - the
> > Western Brethren (of Kentucky/Ohio/Indiana and Missouri) -were Pietists.
> > And with only a couple exceptions, these churches are no more!
> >
> > The early history of Pietism did have several reports of events of
Radical
> > Pietism, but they have been said to be extreme. A couple times, the
> > Pietists took over a town in Germany -drove out the leaders and any
> > residents who did not agree with their concepts of religion (certainly
> > killed those of them who fought the take-over). The refugees then
> gathered
> > an army and retook the town. Their hatred was so extreme that they
killed
> > every pietist they caught: whole families, even the cattle, horses and
> pets
> > -wiped them OUT. One result was that the label "pietist", was a
detested
> > term, a real put-down, with considerable persecution/punishment attached
> > (individually/or as a group). The "pietist" was hardly to be considered
a
> > human being. So the Brethren fled -and eventually came to the New World
> > -to Germantown. These Brethren, in fleeing from the persecutions against
> > the Pietists, found refuge among the Mennonites/Anabaptists. They found
> > many similarities in beliefs, but also found some beliefs that were
> > different, but agreed with what the Bible said, and which they could
> > accepted (including adult baptism -we know that most who were baptized
by
> > Alexander Mack in Germany were adults, who accepted Pietism, but we do
not
> > know that they believed in adult baptism at that time). So most of the
> > Brethren who came to the New World, were Pietist-Anabaptist.
> >
> > What we see at Ephrata is considerably different. Conrad Beissel was
> > baptized a Brethren by Peter Becker, but he was already a pietist, from
> > Germany. He had none of the Anabaptist influence that the Brethren
around
> > him had accepted. He seems not to have agreed with some of these
> > Anabaptist teachings, and so he had arguements with some of the church
> > leaders, and eventually moved on into the wilderness (Lancaster Co PA
was
> > Frontier WILDERNESS!!), where he could practice his belief in celibacy
> (one
> > teaching in pietism). Others gathered around him, so he moved on
farther
> > into the wilderness (Ephrata!). This time as some of the similarly
> > believing pietists gathered around him, he founded a community of faith.
> >
> > The Berleberg Bible was published in Germany by the Pietists, and at
least
> > one copy of it has been identified in early Kentucky. It has loads of
> > commentary (a thousand pages per volume and 14 volumes) which details
this
> > early Pietist faith. Much of it parallels the practices of Ephrata
(some
> > say it was written in conjunction with Ephrata). It has never been
> > translated to English, and I don't read German. (I've been trying to
find
> > the where -but I've been informed that it was recently republished -of
> > course -that doesn't help much with my lack of German!)
> >
> > Ephrata was a very advanced community, practically, and it did attract
> many
> > -especially those who held pietistic views. This included many of these
> > early Brethren. As stated: Anna Mack, wife of Alexander Mack
Sr -founder
> > of the Brethren, was a resident at Ephrata for years, as was Alexander
> Mack
> > Jr (Brother Timotheus) -for a few years (1738-1745), before he fled with
> > the Eckerlin brothers to Mahanaim. To these, here was a community of
> > people who still held to the pure faith they themselves had been
converted
> > to, in Europe. But to those who did not go to Ephrata, who were on the
> > "losing" side of the various arguments with Conrad Beissel (the
Bermudian
> > Church split/the Cocalico Creek division/families that were divided -for
> > years -or forever), Ephrata was a bad word. Much of their beliefs and
> > practices are ours as Brethren today, but there are many "strange
beliefs"
> > that are in this early Pietism.
> >
> > Count Zinzendorf, leader of the Moravian Brethren (Pietists) came to the
> > New World to urge a unity among the German churches in the New World.
In
> > the third general conference, 1742 -George Adam Martin attended -as an
> > Unofficial Representative of the Brethren -he came back -recommending ou
r
> > NON-agreement to Zinzendorf's proposals. He presented this in the first
> of
> > what later became Annual Meetings together, uniting our faith. The
influx
> > of persecution, prior to and during the Revolutionary War, pushed the
> > eastern Brethren (of Annual Meeting) into isolation -a typical attitude
of
> > Anabaptism. The pronouncements of the Elders become more and more
> > Anabaptist. They develop Standing Committee and the body of the Elders,
> > who are the center of Church Authority. They were growing, while
Ephrata
> > was declining (with a major emphasis on celibacy -the community began to
> > die off). By this time -many of the Brethren were already on the
> frontiers
> > and were non-participants in, even unknowing about, Annual Meeting, and
> > -they were Pietists.
> >
> > In the 1820s, the Western Brethren came in conflict with the exanding
> > migration of the Annual Meeting Brethren from back east (many moving
west
> > on the National Road/US 40 -to the Dayton OH area -and eventually
settling
> > the west). The differences were brought to the attention of the Elders
> > -and Annual Meeting ejected these "strange brethren" from the church
> (1826,
> > Annual Meetings advice to migrants moving west: "avoid"). The stong
> > churches of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, of today, are the descendents of
> > this last migration.
> >
> > Our view of Ephrata is discolored by the stance that Annual Meeting and
> the
> > Eastern Brethren took -and we of today are of the Anabaptist tradition
> > -with very little or none of our original Pietism. The more I've
learned
> > about Pietism, the more I see, that my own Brethren background, our
> > Brethren Traditions, makes it hard for me to accept these "strange
> beliefs"
> > that the early Pietists, those who went to Ephrata, held.
> >
> > [for any of you who are interested: I am going back into the hospital
> > Monday, for more surgery -to hook me back up together -to finish what
was
> > begun in September. So I will be out of it for a while again]
> >
> > Merle Rummel
> > Church Historian
> >
> >
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> >
> >
> >
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>
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